Reprinted with permission from CRZ and Michaelangelo at [Slash] Wrestling
Original Artwork by Andrew Fitta
Oh boy, you'd never guess.OK, maybe you would....
Anyways, I was sifting through some random channels at the wee hours when I stumbled upon WCW Worldwide. I stopped because the station never carried it before and I watched it. Afterwards, I caught more wrestling called WXO. It's run by Ted DiBiase and just started.
The interesting part is that some of the roster includes a familiar face or two. Well for one, Dan Severn was introduced as a mystery man and he was ranting about being #1. Well who challenged him? None other than the former #1 contender for the WCW World Title, Al Greene!
I thought you'd get a roll outta' that. Also sighted was Barry Darsow, who I heard is also helping DiBiase with the fed. He wrestled a match, and yes, I clearly heard him said "I'M GONNA BREAK HIS STINKIN ARM OFF!!"
After Thunder, I had to find out what a Mamaluke was. I finally found the following at http://www.bodytattoos.com/fuhgedaboudit/.(For those who don't know what Mamaluke means, it is an Italian expression for a knucklehead.)
Disclaimer: What follows is not intended to imply that anyone has actually engaged in civil or criminal misconduct. It is merely an expression of opinion regarding potential liability to certain public figures under a hypothetical fact pattern. In short, I can't afford to be sued.If Turner had a smoking gun (i.e. a telephone conversation or e-mail between Russo and/or Ferrera and Vince McMahon in which they detail their plan to kill WCW once and for all), establishing a conspiracy to intentionally book WCW's shows for maximum putrescence, here's the causes of action I can think of off the top of my head:
- Turner v. Russo & Ferrera -- Fraud; tortious interference with business relations; breach of fiduciary duty (the duty may be contractual or implied); breach of contract; conspiracy with McMahon and Titan to engage in the preceding.
- Turner v. Titan & McMahon -- Conspiracy to engage in Russo and Ferrera's torts, as well as unfair trade practices under state or federal law.
- United States v. Titan -- Possible antitrust violations from Titan's efforts to establish a monopoly in its field by driving out its only serious competitor (a la Microsoft); and, given the fact that Titan and Turner (I think) are publicly traded, a possible Securities and Exchange Commission investigation into stock manipulation.
- State of Georgia v. Russo & Ferrera (depending on Georgia's penal code) -- Theft (of salary and expenses from WCW) and forgery (to the extent that Russo and Ferrera executed documents under false pretenses). McMahon could be pursued under state criminal law as a party to the conduct, but state officials would probably not mess with extradition and would limit their prosecution to Russo and Ferrera as Georgia residents.
- WWF v. WCW -- Tortious interference with business relations and copyright violations. Theory of the case: WCW borrowed WWF's booking schemes and tried to pass itself off as a competitive wrestling promotion to the detriment of both products and the confusion and disgust of the viewing public.
Likelihood of success in any of these endeavors? Slim to none. This is a business whose genesis was the traveling carnival; its credos are "Don't ever believe anything you see or hear," and "You never get something for nothing." A judge or jury would likely tell WCW that (1) Russo and Ferrera just dropped into their laps and, accordingly, WCW should have been suspicious from the beginning; and (2) Russo and Ferrera's storylines were so ludicrous that anyone with any sense would have known something smelled and pulled them right away. Also, the defense of selective prosecution applies: How can you hold Russo and Ferrera accountable when Kevin Nash has killed four or five booking committees and, when the dust clears a year or so from now, will flee to the WWF from a dead wrestling promotion (two, if you count the nWo)?
As always, I don't know jack about what's real and what's not...and I'm in no position to say who should or shouldn't walk, or who will or won't walk. However, I will give you one opinion, and that's an opinion as a businessman, not as a (supposedly) "smart" wrestling fan.
In my career, I've seen plenty of situations where supposedly "everyone's going to quit", or "this is the first of a wave of resignations". And, you know what? It's never happened.
Now, I'm not saying it's never happened in the history of the world. But what I am saying is that massive walkouts of highly paid professionals are not practical, especially in a business where there are few employers and the professionals involved generally won't be able to make that much money elsewhere. There's threatening, posturing, what have you...but from a business perspective, a massive walkout is extremely unlikely. (Remember Raven's walkout that was supposed to be followed by a number of others?) And, even if things currently are as they are being reported, most, if not all, will be back.
I'm concerned that I'm missing some house shows that I could be including on the site. So, if you are a subscriber to PWI, and would be interested in sending me a monthly e-mail letting me know that I got everything, or include the results of any cards they have that I might have missed, please let me know.